With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S.
Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data. The big question is – how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con- artist? BBB offers the following advice: If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.
Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.
Remember, no matter what they ask, you really only need to tell them how many people live at your address. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau. And, remember, the Census Bureau has decided not to work with ACORN on gathering information.
No ACORN worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.
Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.
Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Activity Ideas for teachers and anyone interested in learning their black history. The following is provided by PBS Teachers.
Included are a few of the links and activities. Visit http://www.pbs.org/teachers/thismonth/unsung/index1.html for all online resources and activity ideas provided. Enjoy!
Who’s Not in Your Textbook?
Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Ask students to review their history/civics textbooks for information on famous African Americans.
Have them look for notable figures in politics, science, the arts, athletics, activism, and entertainment. Who do they see? In which topics are African American featured most prominently, other than slavery and the civil rights movement?
Have students research a time period or a specific topic and have them identify a notable African American they believe deserves more credit or attention. USe the online resources listed below and others for useful information.
Students could create a report, a multimedia presentation using images, video, audio and powerpoint, or write a skit or short story based on that individual’s experience and accomplishments. As part of their presentations, students should address how this person’s inspired them.
The Names Behind the Famous Cases
Grade Levels: 2-5; 6-8
Have your students conduct research projects about the following cases that resulted in historic rulings affecting civil rights. Specifically, ask your students to investigate the stories behind the cases. Who were the plaintiffs and how did their names become part of legal and civil rights history? Some examples include:
Plessy v. Ferguson (1892)
Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1948)
Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Younger students can create a mural about these courageous men and women and children who helped move civil rights forward.
The Other Women Behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12
Ask students to find information on Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith in their textbooks. Why aren’t they included in the history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Ask students to research these tow young women using the following resources:
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Resource Network consists of three categories of resources – information, day-to-day help, and emotional support. The Cancer Resource Network provides day-to-day help by helping ease the physical, financial, and emotional toll of cancer. The American Cancer Society offers lodging assistance through Hope Lodge facilities across the country. Hope Lodge provides free, temporary lodging for cancer patients and their families who must travel outside their community for treatment. They are welcomed into a comfortable and caring environment where patients who are going through a similar experience can support one another. In PA, we have two Hope Lodge locations – Hershey and Philadelphia. For more information about Hope Lodge, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org. No one should have to face cancer alone. Your American Cancer Society is here for you.
Northampton County, NAACP working to increase minority hires
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Northampton county, NAACP talking
Northampton County officials and the Bethlehem chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are doing something important to encourage minority hires and create a more racially diverse county work force.
They’re getting together, reviewing hiring practices and talking.
This last part might seem self-evident, but it’s sometimes lost when terms such as racial inequality and hiring barriers are placed on the table. NAACP officials have been frustrated by the lack of progress in minority hiring at all levels. Government officials don’t like being targeted as obstructionists, especially when they are looking to diversify labor forces but don’t get enough applications from blacks, Latinos or members of other minority groups.
So it’s a good sign that Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP, and John Stoffa, Northampton County executive, are looking at this. Since September, a group from the NAACP and county human resources officials have gotten together to talk about the availability of county jobs, how they are advertised, how people can apply, how the county can reach out to people who might not be aware of job opportunities.
Lee recently questioned the inclusiveness of the county’s job efforts: “When you come to the courthouse, you don’t see a lot of African-American faces.”
Stoffa conceded the point: “We probably need more diversity than what we have.”
Lack of diversity in employment can result from shortcomings on both sides. Traditionally, governments resorted to political favoritism and nepotism in filling jobs — and to the extent this process is dominated by whites, men or any group, it favors those groups. That might not be a form of overt racism or gender bias, but it has the same effect. Cronyism and nepotism are close cousins of racism.
Northampton County, which is committed to having a qualified, diverse work force as part of its mission statement, advertises jobs on its Web site and in newspapers and must adhere to career service regulations in hiring. The extent to which the county and other public work forces are representative of the populations they serve depends greatly on communication — getting notices of job openings to people who might not see them, getting qualified applicants to apply. And hiring them.
NAACP organizations in Bethlehem and Easton are well-positioned to do this. Keeping in touch with county officials and helping with job recruiting can go a long way to eliminating racial barriers in hiring, real or perceived.
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
